CHAPTER 520: CHAPTER 520

"Dimensional Summon—Arthur Pendragon!"

The Holy Sword that scattered away the darkness shone with golden brilliance, stabilizing the increasingly turbulent walls of the dimension. The chaotic battlefield seemed, for just a moment, to return to stillness.

[Heroic Spirit – Arthur Pendragon ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)] [LIGHT] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 2400/DEF 2000]

[While this card is face-up on the field, the following effects apply depending on the number of "Heroic Spirit" monsters in your Graveyard and Banished Zone.]

Witnessing this sight for the first time, Sera’s heart inevitably tightened in panic.

"What... what is this light? Why... why are the souls that were locked away by the dimensional seal regaining their freedom?!"

"Sera, the root cause of your failure... is that you intruded on this duel uninvited. The traces of my battle with Kaiba—the proof of our fight—will transform into a sword that cuts through dimensions!"

With her fingertip pressing down on the glowing virtual card before her, Hoshino activated Arthur’s finishing effect.

"—By offering up the strength of thirteen Heroic Spirits, Arthur Pendragon’s effect is unleashed!"

To wield the Holy Sword, a single hero alone could never decide its fate.

The blade that cleaves through foes threatening entire worlds—the strongest sword meant only to save them—was far too powerful to be regarded as a mere personal weapon.

Thus, the King of Knights, together with his knights, established strict laws to govern the sword and enforced them without compromise.

That law was the "Second Scabbard"—the Thirteen Seals. Only in situations where multiple deeds of honor and missions of glory had been fulfilled could the true form of the Holy Sword be released.

"—Seal Thirteen. Decision, start!!!"

[● While this card is face-up, apply the following effects depending on the Type(s) of "Heroic Spirit" monsters in your Graveyard or Banished Zone.]

Drawing a card from the Extra Deck, Hoshino revealed it at the same time the Holy Sword—symbol of salvation—was unleashed in Arthur Pendragon’s hand.

"Go forth, Special Summon! Excalibur Proto: Sword of Promised Victory!!"

[Excalibur Proto: Sword of Promised Victory ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 12)] [LIGHT] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK: 0/DEF: 0]

[This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Heroic Spirit – Arthur Pendragon."]

[①: When this card is Special Summoned, target 1 of your "Heroic Spirit – Arthur Pendragon"; equip this card to that monster as an Equip Spell.]

"—Decision Start!"

Even if the King of Knights and his Knights had already departed the mortal world, the seals would forever remain in operation. Whenever the wielder of the Holy Sword sought its liberation, the Round Table’s deliberation would automatically begin.

Merlin: "I approve—!"

Bedivere: "The enemy must be more powerful than oneself."

Seal released!

Kay: "The battle must be for truth."

Seal released!

Lancelot: "The enemy must not be an elemental."

Seal released!

Mordred: "The battle must be one against evil."

Seal released!

Galahad: "The battle must not involve personal gain."

Seal released!

Gawain: "The battle must be an honorable one."

Seal released!

Palamedes: "The battle must be one-on-one."

Seal released!

Gaheris: "The battle must not be against Humanity."

Seal released!

Agravaine: "The battle must be for truth."

Seal released!

"The battle must not be against one pure of heart."

Seal released!

"One’s comrades-in-arms must be courageous."

Seal released!

"The battle must be to defend human order."

Seal released!

—And above all: The battle must be to save the world!!

Final Seal, released!

"Incredible... what an overwhelming power!!" Hoshino Alter, now returned within the Pyramid of Light, shouted in awe.

"The brilliance of hope—it’s as if it’s tearing through the very walls of this dimension! Aibo, is this... your true strength?!"

"No, my other self—this isn’t my strength alone. It’s only because you fought across the brink of despair to reach this moment that we were able to awaken the brilliance of the stars! This radiance is the power of us two combined!"

With a sweeping motion, Hoshino unfurled the flow of battle. The starlight erupting from the Holy Sword in Arthur’s hand illuminated pure white within the dark dimensional realm—shining against the shadowed face of this world.

"And this sword... carries with it the hope Kaiba entrusted to us! Whether you can see it or not, Kaiba, I want you to know—your struggle was never in vain!"

ROAR!!

Multiple dragon cries resounded across the battlefield. At that moment, countless forms of the White Dragon took flight—each passing their power to Hoshino and to Arthur.

Kisara: "Hoshino, the proud souls of the White Dragons now entrust all their light to you! Please—avenge Seto for us!"

Far beyond, across the dimension’s edge, Kaiba witnessed it in disbelief.

"The Maiden of Blue-Eyes... Blue-Eyes White Dragon... Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon... Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon... What in the world have you done, Hoshino?!"

Grasping the light passed into her hand from Kisara’s pure-white palm, Hoshino answered solemnly:

"Rest assured, Kisara. For the sake of not squandering the chance Kaiba sacrificed himself to win, I will not lose! Excalibur Proto: Sword of Promised Victory’s effect—!"

[The monster equipped with this card gains ATK equal to the number of LIGHT monsters in your Graveyard and Banished Zone × 1000.]

Yugi shouted in excitement:

"It’s the power of every single LIGHT monster gathered together! No wonder the White Dragons appeared at the moment of attack!"

By counting only the number of LIGHT-attribute Heroic Spirit monsters in Hoshino’s Graveyard and Banished Zone, Arthur’s ATK alone would not have surpassed the Crimson Nova Trinity’s 9000 points.

Yet the instant Hoshino Alter and Kaiba fought side by side, their combined will had already been engraved into the Holy Sword—ensuring victory.

"It’s over! Your defeat is already sealed!"

Gathering the radiance of Heroic Spirits and White Dragons alike, the Holy Sword pushed its power to the absolute limit. In Arthur’s hands, it carved the trajectory of triumph.

[Arthur Pendragon ATK 2400 → 14400]

"What?! Attack points... how is such a thing possible?!"

Sera’s voice cracked into uncontrolled panic. Crimson Nova Trinity, which she had summoned at full strength—with doubled attack power—had barely reached 9000. And now, with just a single card, Hoshino had turned it all around.

"But even if your ATK surpasses mine, under the rules of this dimensional duel, that alone isn’t enough to defeat me!"

Even if Arthur destroyed her Crimson Nova Trinity, Sera would only take half its ATK as damage—4500. With her Life Points still at a full 8000, it wouldn’t be fatal.

"—But the Proto are fully released, and the outcome is already decided, Sera! Excalibur Proto: Sword of Promised Victory’s final effect activates!!"

[When the equipped monster declares an attack: Send all monsters your opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to that monster’s ATK to the Graveyard.]

Hoshino & Arthur (in unison):

"This is... the battle to save the dimensions!!!"

Ex—calibur!!

The blade swung with its full might, the starlight upon it roaring outward. The colossal Crimson Nova Trinity shattered before it. Its overwhelming power to tear the earth and pierce the sky was meaningless before this—the fiercest light that obliterates great evils.

[Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord — Destroyed]

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

[Sera LP 8000 → 3500 → 0]

"Impossible! How could I, a guide of the higher dimensions, lose?! You only had 4 Life Points left—how could you summon such a light of counterattack, Hoshino!?"

When Arthur’s Holy Sword effect activated upon attacking, it destroyed Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord. Then, with a direct strike exceeding ten thousand attack points, he cleaved through the dimensional domain and took down all of Sera’s remaining Life Points.

[—Duel Over. The winner: Chiyuki Hoshino!]

"Am I really the only victor here?" Under the radiance of starlight piercing the heavens, Hoshino looked at the spot where Kaiba had once stood—now completely empty—with complicated emotions.

Hoshino Alter murmured, "This kind of victory... the price is far too heavy."

Not only Kaiba, but also the innocent spectators caught up in the battle had vanished from this dimension. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon Dome, once brimming with passion and laughter, was now shrouded in a gloom even starlight could not dispel.

Arthur sheathed his sword and smiled gently. "Do not blame yourself. You’ve done well, Master~ In fact, this very outcome... is what someone had always wished for."

"Someone’s wish?" Hoshino’s eyes flickered with doubt. "Arthur, who is this ’someone’ you mean...?"

"The end of the guiding light will tell you the answer." With a gentleman’s bow, Arthur clasped Hoshino’s fingertips and, keeping the secret, said, "For now, step into this starlight and embrace a long-awaited reunion, Master."

The golden pillar of light unleashed by the Holy Sword spread across the entire arena, enveloping Hoshino within. Though the suddenness of it all was overwhelming, the warmth of Arthur’s touch filled her with an unexpected sense of peace.

Bathed in brilliance, her vision faded briefly—and when she regained it, Hoshino found herself in an endless, pure white space.

"Hoshino?! Why are you here too? Didn’t you already win?"

"That voice... Kaiba!" Hoshino exclaimed in surprise. "You’re not dead yet!?"

"Why do you sound so eager for me to be dead?" Kaiba snapped.

"So this is the ’long-awaited reunion’ Arthur mentioned? Sure, it’s a reunion, but it hasn’t been that long at all."

"No, Chiyuki. The true long-awaited reunion... is between us."

A familiar voice—Dr. Romani’s—drifted gently from behind.

At that, Hoshino’s body trembled. Slowly, hesitantly, she turned around, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

"Doctor!! It’s really you, Dr. Romani?! I’m not dreaming, am I? Wait... Kaiba and you both disappeared, and now you’re here... maybe this really is a dream..."

She pinched her thigh hard—such a shocking reality was almost impossible to accept.

"(」゜ロ゜)」 It doesn’t hurt at all! So it really is a dream?"

Arthur: "=_= Master, you just pinched my thigh. That hurt plenty. Now you should know this isn’t a dream."

"So that’s why it felt so hard and stiff, no sensation at all."

"Pfft—hahaha!"

The reunion, which was supposed to be serious, broke down when Dr. Romani, trying to remain composed, couldn’t hold back his laughter.

"Hoshino, you really haven’t changed at all. With you around, it’s impossible to ever feel bored."

"You’re the one who hasn’t changed, Doctor..." Hoshino’s voice trembled, nearly breaking. "You’re exactly the same as when you left. Even your Chaldea uniform hasn’t changed."

"Doctor, there’s so much I want to tell you!"

She instinctively reached for Romani’s hand, but no matter how close she leaned, she couldn’t touch him.

His smile carried an almost imperceptible trace of loneliness.

"Chiyuki, I too have so much to tell you. But now isn’t the time for reminiscence. With the Dimensional Cube destroyed, the connection between the higher dimension and reality can barely hold."

"The higher dimension? Doctor... does that mean you’ve been there ever since you left us?"

Hoshino had always thought only grotesque beings like the Crimson Nova Trinity monsters lived in the higher dimensions. Thinking back, she felt almost guilty toward Dr. Romani.

"To say I ’exist’ there isn’t quite right. This is a place without space or time. Only through the Gate of Ascension, opened by the Dimensional Cube, could I briefly intervene in the real world."

Hoshino quickly asked, "If you can use the gate to intervene, then does that mean you can come back, Doctor? Da Vinci and everyone else... we all miss you!"

Romani answered only with a silent smile. That silence was perhaps the clearest answer of all.

"Chiyuki, the road I needed to walk has already been completed. Whether as Solomon or as Romani Archaman, I’ve left behind no regrets."

"I see... but even so, I’m glad I could see you again." Hoshino’s voice fell.

Romani added, "But this time, it’s more than just seeing you again. After three cycles of reincarnation, I finally met you, Chiyuki. I must explain everything before I can truly rest."

"Reincarnated three times? Doctor, what do you mean?"

"The details of those reincarnations... Kaiba will explain to you himself. Time is short, so I’ll only cover the essentials~"

The melancholy from moments ago faded. Romani now carried the same dependable aura he once had in Chaldea, when guiding humanity’s survival.

"The three cycles of reincarnation created three distinct worldlines... Unfortunately, the first world was destroyed by an unknown threat—one even my Clairvoyance couldn’t perceive."

Hoshino gasped. "An unknown threat, beyond even Solomon’s Clairvoyance?!"

"The Age of Ruin—that’s what we call a destroyed world," Romani explained gravely.

"I couldn’t see the exact enemy. But after learning of the world’s destruction, I had Seto Kaiba transmitted back in time. Since this is a space without time, jumping back a few years was possible, and thus began the first reincarnation."

Hoshino cried out, "The Age of Ruin! That’s the world Paradox and the future me fought in, isn’t it?"

She recalled her battle with Paradox in the Time Tunnel. Why her far-future self had taken on a childlike form—it now seemed to make sense.

At this rate of reverse aging, give it a few more decades—or centuries—and of course her future self would look like a little girl...